行

xíng

Pinyin
xíng
Pinyin (Plain)
xing
Tone
2
Strokes
6
Radical
行
Readings
xíngxingTone: 2(bound form) to walk; to go; to travel; (literary) trip; journey; visit; (bound form) temporary; makeshift; (bound form) current; in circulation; (bound form) to do; to perform; capable; competent; all right; OK!; will do; behavior; conduct (Taiwan pr. [xing4]); (literary) about to; soonOrder: 0Primary
hang2hangTone: 2(bound form) row; line; (bound form) line of business; trade; profession; (bound form) commercial firm; (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age); (in data tables) row; (Tw) column; classifier for rows or linesOrder: 1
heng2hengTone: 2used in 道行[dao4 heng2]Order: 2
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 322 810 Q 335 771 252 668 Q 213 620 162 568 Q 152 559 148 554 Q 144 544 157 545 Q 205 545 343 696 Q 376 738 393 750 Q 403 759 401 772 Q 398 785 375 809 Q 353 828 334 831 Q 318 831 322 810 Z", "M 273 414 Q 399 555 401 560 Q 400 564 400 567 Q 399 580 374 605 Q 352 626 333 628 Q 315 629 320 607 Q 329 579 315 556 Q 272 483 214 416 Q 157 352 82 284 Q 72 277 69 270 Q 65 260 78 261 Q 111 261 214 358 Q 227 371 244 385 L 273 414 Z", "M 244 385 Q 274 325 247 152 Q 223 68 266 24 Q 282 8 294 34 Q 309 74 308 119 Q 307 299 312 339 Q 319 366 310 376 Q 277 412 273 414 C 251 434 232 413 244 385 Z", "M 549 671 Q 509 661 539 644 Q 587 620 650 638 Q 714 654 781 671 Q 812 680 817 684 Q 826 694 820 703 Q 811 716 778 722 Q 744 726 710 712 Q 676 699 639 688 Q 597 678 549 671 Z", "M 715 469 Q 796 482 914 486 Q 974 486 981 498 Q 987 511 968 524 Q 911 563 870 552 Q 734 516 416 460 Q 394 457 411 439 Q 447 409 487 422 Q 610 462 666 462 L 715 469 Z", "M 635 61 Q 613 68 585 76 Q 572 80 573 72 Q 573 65 583 53 Q 644 -2 683 -48 Q 696 -58 710 -41 Q 749 10 750 117 Q 740 267 749 404 Q 756 432 749 443 Q 742 453 715 469 C 690 485 657 491 666 462 Q 681 416 683 387 Q 683 80 682 75 Q 679 66 674 59 Q 662 52 635 61 Z"]
Meaning
In Chinese, 行 most commonly means “to go; to walk; to move” and by extension “to do; to carry out (an action)” (as in 行动 “to take action,” 进行 “to carry out”). It can also mean “OK; all right” in phrases like 行吗? (“Is that OK?”) and appears in some words about professions or trades, such as 银行 (“bank,” literally “silver line/firm”).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 5/13/2026, 4:53:54 PM

Usage

“行” is extremely common and quite flexible, so learners usually meet it in a few main roles. As a verb, it often means “to go / to walk” (as in 行走, 行人), but in modern Mandarin you’re more likely to see 去 or 走 used this way in everyday speech. Learners quickly notice its use in set phrases meaning “to do, to carry out, to put into practice,” like 实行 (to implement), 进行 (to carry out, to conduct), and 银行 (literally “silver + conduct” → bank, a place that carries out financial activities). In spoken Chinese, 行 by itself is very common as an adjective or response meaning “OK, all right, workable,” for example: 这样行不行？(Is this okay?) or 行！(Okay!). As a noun, “行” appears in words relating to lines, rows, or professions. In reading and writing contexts it shows up as “row / line,” as in 一行字 (one line of characters). It also means “profession / trade / line of business,” as in 行业 (industry, profession) and 各行各业 (all walks of life). In banking and business names, you often see it as part of a compound (银行, 商行). Learners should be aware that it has multiple pronunciations: xíng is the common one for “to be okay, to walk, to do; row,” while háng is used in “profession, line (of text), banking/business context,” which explains why dictionaries and learning resources frequently list “行 (xíng / háng)” with several meanings and example phrases.

Handwriting Notes

行 is written as a tall, slightly narrow character, with a vertical structure that often feels like two “columns”: a left part that looks a bit like 彳 (three short strokes forming a small stepping shape) and a right part that’s more open and slightly curved or slanted. In everyday handwriting, the strokes are usually more connected and flowing than in printed fonts; angles can soften, and the right side often leans slightly, giving the whole character a sense of motion or “walking,” which fits one of its core meanings. Depending on the writer’s style, the strokes can become simplified or merged: the small horizontal strokes on the left may shorten, and the right side can look more like a single sweeping shape than clearly separated strokes. Despite this variation, the contrast between the compact left component and the more open right side remains the key visual cue. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle these handwritten variations in 行, learning to identify its characteristic left-right structure and overall proportions even when individual strokes are stylized or joined.

Description

行 is a common Chinese character meaning “to go,” “to walk,” or “to travel,” and can also mean “to carry out” or “to do.” It appears in many words and phrases, such as 行走 (“to walk”) and 进行 (“to carry out; to proceed”). In modern Mandarin it is most often pronounced xíng, but can also be háng in meanings like “a line” or “a profession,” as in 银行 (yínháng, “bank”).

Common Words

  • 行hang2(bound form) row; line
  • 银行yin2 hang2bank
  • 一行yi1 xing2party
  • 罪行zui4 xing2crime
  • 行会hang2 hui4guild

Example Sentences

我喜欢行。

wo3 xi3 huan5 hang2

I like (bound form) row; line.

银行很常见。

yin2 hang2 hen3 chang2 jian4

银行 is very common.

我们在学习一行。

wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 yi1 xing2

We are learning party.

这个罪行很重要。

zhe4 ge5 zui4 xing2 hen3 zhong4 yao4

This crime is important.

请写一下“行”。

qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 hang2

Please write '行'.

Try writing this character